System and method allowing advertisers to manage search listings in a pay for placement search system using grouping

ABSTRACT

A system for advertisers to efficiently manage their search listings in placement database search system includes grouping means for managing multiple categories for the search listings and query means for searching search listings. The system further includes quick-fill means for modifying an attribute in plurality of search listings by specifying the modification at single location.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is related to application Ser. No. 09/922,028entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING PLACE AND PRICE PROTECTION IN ASEARCH RESULT LIST GENERATED BY A COMPUTER NETWORK SEARCH ENGINE, filedon Aug. 3, 2001 in the names Cheung, et al., which is a continuation inpart of application Ser. No. 09/911,674 filed Jul. 24, 2001 in the namesof Darren J. Davis, et al., (attorney docket number 9623/334), whichapplication is incorporated herein in its entirety and which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 09/322,677, filed May 28, 1999, inthe names of Darren J. Davis, et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,361.

REFERENCE TO COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGS SUBMITTED ON COMPACT DISK

[0002] A compact disc appendix is included containing computer programcode listings pursuant to 37 C.F.R. 1.52(e) and is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety. The total number of compact discs is 1including 30,071 files and 96,227,410 bytes. The files included on thecompact disc are listed in a file entitled “dir_s” on the compact disc.Because of the large number of files contained on the compact disc, therequired listing of file names, dates of creation and sizes in bytes isincluded in the file dir_s on the compact disk and incorporated byreference herein.

BACKGROUND

[0003] The Internet provides many databases of information accessiblefor searching and receiving information. Pay for placement databasesearch systems have been developed in which advertisers bid on theplacement of their listings in search results returned to a searcher inresponse to a world wide web query from a searcher. Each advertiser'slisting includes a search term and a bid amount. In some embodiments,each advertiser's listing includes a title, descriptive text and aclickable hyperlink or uniform resource locator (URL). The database ofsearch listings stores many such listings, each associated with anadvertiser. Upon receipt of the query, the database is searched andlistings having a search term matching the query are formatted fordisplay to the searcher as search results.

[0004] The advertisers adjust their bids or bid amounts to control theposition at which their search listings are presented in the searchresults. The pay for placement system places search listings havinghigher-valued bids higher or closer to the top of the search listings.Other rules may be applied as well when positioning search listings. Forexample, a more senior listing will be positioned or ranked higher thana junior listing for the same search term and same bid. Higher-rankedlistings are seen by more searchers and are more likely to be clicked,producing traffic of potential customers to an advertiser's web site.

[0005] The searcher is presented with search listings according to thebid amounts. The search listings may extend over several screens orpages when formatted for viewing. As a result, higher positioned searchlistings are much more likely to be seen by the searcher. Moreover, somepay for placement systems have affiliate agreements whereby some oftheir highest-bidded search listings are presented to searchers usingother general purpose search engines. Because of these affiliateagreements and similar arrangements, an advertiser's web site, if bidhighly enough, may be seen by as many as seventy-five percent ofInternet users.

[0006] An advertiser wishing to attract searchers to his web site aspotential customers for the advertiser's goods and services thus has anincentive to position his search listing relatively high in the searchresults. An advertiser may enter bids on many search listings. Forsearch listings which are closely related to the content of theadvertiser's web site, the advertiser might place relatively large bids.For less closely related search listings, the advertiser might placesmaller bids. A number of strategies have been developed by advertisersto increase traffic to advertiser web sites in this manner.

[0007] Similarly, pay for placement search systems have developed toolsto help the advertisers manage their bids and attract traffic. OvertureServices, Inc., operating a system at www.overture.com, has presentedadvertisers with a standard bidding page accessible over the world wideweb.

[0008] Currently available web sites allow an advertiser to add searchlistings to the system. However, the conventional system neither allowsgrouping the search listings in the categories nor allows for massupdate of the search listings by single operation.

[0009] Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and methodfor managing listings in a pay for placement system.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0010] By way of introduction only, the present embodiments provide amethod and system for a pay for placement database search system. Themethod and system include grouping and querying, one or more searchlistings associated with an advertiser, providing the advertisers anability to simultaneously modify plurality of search listings. Theadvertisers also possess means to search the categories and gatherstatistical data for entire category.

[0011] The foregoing discussion of the preferred embodiments has beenprovided only by way of introduction. Nothing in this section should betaken as a limitation of the claims, which define the scope of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1 illustrates a navigation map in the search listingmanagement system in a pay for placement search system;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a pay for placement database searchsystem;

[0014]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram that illustrates the functionalities ofvarious interfaces in the search listing management system;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a state diagram showing operations performed in theManage Category choice and in the List View, the Bid View and theStatistics View;

[0016]FIG. 5 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Manage-CategoriesInterface Page’ this interface demonstrates the functionality that isused to create, name, and delete a category.

[0017]FIG. 6 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Popup InterfacePage’ that is displayed as a confirmation page prior to deleting acategory;

[0018]FIG. 7 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Add ListingInterface Page’, which illustrates how the listings are added to thesystem;

[0019]FIG. 8 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Add-to-categoryInterface Page’ representing how a listing is added to a category;

[0020]FIG. 9 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Edit-listingsInterface Page’, which demonstrate a way to modify certain attributes ofa listing;

[0021]FIG. 10 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a‘Edit-Listings-receipt Interface Page’, pointing to receipt displayed inresponse to a list modification;

[0022]FIG. 11 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Listings wideSearch’, which is a typical Query page in the Listing View;

[0023]FIG. 12 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Query CriteriaSelection Interface Page’, which is a typical Query page in the BiddingView;

[0024]FIG. 13 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Bidding Time spanSelection Query Interface Page’, which is a typical Query page in theStatistics View;

[0025]FIG. 14 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Bid-to-top selectInterface Page’ wherein the advertiser is able to bid all or some of thelistings to the top;

[0026]FIG. 15 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Bid StatisticsTimeframe Query Interface Page’, which is a typical Query page in theBidding View;

[0027]FIG. 16 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘NumericComparison Operation Criteria for Bidding Interface Page’, whichdisplays the numeric comparison operators for Bidding Queries; and

[0028]FIG. 17 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Statistics WideSearch Interface Page’ Bidding Interface Page’, which displays a typicalQuery in the Statistics View.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 illustrates the navigationmap of a search listing management system which is referred to herein as“Power Manager.” Power Manager may be implemented in a pay for placementdatabase search system as described below in conjunction with FIG. 2. Inthe Power Manager tab 102, the advertiser can either choose to addsearch listings 104 or to Manage Categories 106. From Manage categories,the advertiser can go to Bid View 110. From Bid View, the advertiser cango to both Listings View 108 and Stat View 112, which providesstatistics about search listings. While in one view, the advertiser cannavigate to any of the other two views. All three views have ability toedit categories and add listing 114, All three Views have ability totake the advertiser back to Manage Categories page.

[0030]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a pay-for-placement search system200. FIG. 2 is an example of a distributed system 200 configured asclient/server architecture used in one embodiment of the presentinvention. A client is a member of a class or group that uses theservices of another class or group to which it is not related. A serveris typically a remote computer system that is accessible over acommunications medium such as the Internet. The client process may beactive in a second computer system, and communicate with the serverprocess over a communications medium that allows multiple clients totake advantage of the information-gathering capabilities of the server.Thus, the server essentially acts as an information provider for acomputer network.

[0031] The block diagram of FIG. 2 therefore shows a distributed system200 including a plurality of advertiser web servers 204 and associateddatabase 224, an account management server 206 and associated database226, and a search engine web server 208 and associated database 228, anda plurality of client computers 216 such as a searcher computer and anadvertiser computer, all of which are connected to a network such as theInternet 214. The network 214 will be hereinafter generally referred toas the Internet. Although the system and method of the present inventionis specifically useful for the Internet, it should be understood thatthe client computers 216, advertiser web servers 204, account managementserver 206, and search engine web server 208 may be connected togetherthrough one of a number of different types of networks. Such networksmay include local area networks (LANs), other wide area networks (WANs),and regional networks accessed over telephone lines, such as commercialinformation services. The client and server processes may even comprisedifferent programs executing simultaneously on a single computer.Advertiser web server 204, account management server 206, and searchengine web server 208 and their associated storage device comprise apay-for-placement database search system 202 as described herein.

[0032] The client computers 216 can be conventional personal computers(PCs), workstations, or computer systems of any other size. Each client216 typically includes one or more processors, memories, input/outputdevices, and a network interface, such as a conventional modem ornetwork interface card. The advertiser web servers 204, accountmanagement server 206, and the search engine web server 208 can besimilarly configured. However, advertiser web servers 204, accountmanagement server 206, and search engine web server 208 may each includemany computers connected by a separate private network.

[0033] The client computers 216 can execute web browser programs, suchas the NAVIGATOR, EXPLORER, or MOSAIC browser programs, to locate theweb pages or records stored on advertiser server 204. The browserprograms allow the users to enter addresses of specific web pages to beretrieved. These addresses are referred to as Uniform Resource Locators,or URLs. In addition, once a page has been retrieved, the browserprograms can provide access to other pages or records when the user“clicks” on hyperlinks to other web pages. Such hyperlinks are locatedwithin the web pages 30 and provide an automated way for the user toenter the URL of another page and to retrieve that page. The pages canbe data records including as content plain textual information, or morecomplex digitally encoded multimedia content, such as software programs,graphics, audio signals, videos, and so forth.

[0034] In one embodiment, client computers 216 communicate through thenetwork with various network information providers, including accountmanagement server 206, search engine server 208, and advertiser servers204 using the functionality provided by a HyperText Transfer Protocol(HTTP), although other communications protocols, such as FTP, SNMP,TELNET, and a number of other protocols known in the art, may be used.Preferably, search engine server 208, account management server 206, andadvertiser servers 204 are located on the World Wide Web.

[0035] As discussed above, at least two types of server are contemplatedin the illustrated embodiment. The first server contemplated is anaccount management server 206 comprising a computer storage medium 220and a processing system. A database is stored on the storage medium 220of the account management server 206. The database contains advertiseraccount information. It will be appreciated from the description belowthat the system and method described herein may be implemented insoftware that is stored as executable instructions on a computer storagemedium, such as memories or mass storage devices, on the accountmanagement server 206. Conventional browser programs, running on clientcomputers 216, may be used to access advertiser account informationstored on account management server 206. Preferably, access to theaccount management server 206 is accomplished through a firewall, notshown, which protects the account management and search result placementprograms and the account information from external tampering. Additionalsecurity may be provided via enhancements to the standard communicationsprotocols such as Secure HTTP or the Secure Sockets Layer.

[0036] The second server type contemplated is a search engine web server208. A search engine program permits network users, upon navigating tothe search engine web server URL or sites on other web servers capableof submitting queries to the search engine web server 208 through theirbrowser program, to type keyword queries to identify pages of interestamong the millions of pages available on the World Wide Web. In apreferred embodiment of the present invention, the search engine webserver 208 generates a search result list that includes, at least inpart, relevant entries obtained from and formatted by the results of thebidding process conducted by the account management server 206. Thesearch engine web server 208 generates a list of hypertext links todocuments that contain information relevant to search terms entered bythe user at the client computer 216. The search engine web servertransmits this list, in the form of a web page, to the network user,where it is displayed on the browser running on the client computer 216.One embodiment of the search engine web server may be found bynavigating to the web page at URL http://www.overture.com/.

[0037] Search engine web server 208 is connected to the Internet 214. Inone embodiment, search engine web server 208 includes a search databaseincluding search listing records used to generate search results inresponse to user queries. In addition, search engine web server 208 mayalso be connected to the account management server 206. Accountmanagement server 206 may also be connected to the Internet 214. Thesearch engine web server 208 and the account management server 206address the different information needs of the users located at clientcomputers 216.

[0038] For example, one class of users located at client computers 216may be network information providers such as advertising web sitepromoters or advertisers having advertiser web pages located onadvertiser web servers 204. These advertising web site promoters oradvertisers may wish to access account information residing in storageon account management server 206. An advertising web site promoter may,through the account residing on the account management server 206,participate in a competitive bidding process with other advertisers. Anadvertiser may bid on any number of search terms relevant to the contentof the advertiser's web site. In one embodiment, the relevance of abidded search term to an advertiser's web site is determined through amanual editorial process prior to insertion of the search listingcontaining the search term and advertiser web site URL into thedatabase. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, therelevance of a bidded search term in a search listing to thecorresponding web site may be evaluated using a computer programexecuting at the processor of account management server 206, where thecomputer program will evaluate the search term and corresponding website according to a set of predefined editorial rules.

[0039] The higher bids receive more advantageous placement on the searchresult list page generated by the search engine 208 when a search usingthe search term bid on by the advertiser is executed. In one embodiment,the amount bid by an advertiser comprises a money amount that isdeducted from the account of the advertiser for each time theadvertiser's web site is accessed via a hyperlink on the search resultlist page. Alternatively, the amount bit may comprise any economic valuegiven by the advertiser. A searcher clicks on the hyperlink with acomputer input device to initiate a retrieval request to retrieve theinformation associated with the advertiser's hyperlink. Preferably, eachaccess or click on a search result list hyperlink will be redirected tothe search engine web server 208 to associate the “click” with theaccount identifier for an advertiser. This redirect action, which is notapparent to the searcher, will access account identification informationcoded into the search result page before accessing the advertiser's URLusing the search result list hyperlink clicked on by the searcher. Theaccount identification information is recorded in the advertiser'saccount along with information from the retrieval request as a retrievalrequest event. Since the information obtained through this mechanismconclusively matches an account identifier with a URL in a manner notpossible using conventional server system logs known in the art,accurate account debit records will be maintained. The advertiser's website description and hyperlink on the search result list page isaccompanied by an indication that the advertiser's listing is a paidlisting. Each paid listing displays a cost to advertiser, which is anamount corresponding to a price-per-click paid by the advertiser foreach referral to the advertiser's site through the search result list.

[0040] A second class of users at client computers 216 may comprisesearchers seeking specific information on the web. The searchers mayaccess, through their browsers, a search engine web page residing on webserver 208. The search engine web page includes a query box in which asearcher may type a search term comprising one or more keywords.Alternatively, the searcher may query the search engine web server 208through a query box hyperlinked to the search engine web server 208 andlocated on a web page stored at a remote web server. When the searcherhas finished entering the search term, the searcher may transmit thequery to the search engine web server 208 by clicking on a providedhyperlink. The search engine web server 208 will then generate a searchresult list page and transmit this page to the searcher at the clientcomputer 216.

[0041] The searcher may click on the hypertext links associated witheach listing on the search results page to access the corresponding webpages. The hypertext links may access web pages anywhere on the Internet214, and include paid listings to advertiser web pages located onadvertiser web servers 204. In one embodiment, the search result listalso includes non-paid listings that are not placed as a result ofadvertiser bids and are generated by a conventional World Wide Websearch engine, such as the INKTOMI, LYCOS, or YAHOO! search engines. Thenon-paid hypertext links may also include links manually indexed intothe database by an editorial team. Most preferably, the non-paidlistings follow the paid advertiser listings on the search results page.

[0042] In another embodiment, the users at client computers 216 mayaccess the web site of other web service providers affiliated with theoperator of the pay for placement search system 200. Under affiliateagreements, search queries entered by the users at the client computers216 using web pages of the affiliated web service providers are alsopassed to the search engine web server 208. The search engine web server208 produces pay for placement search results as described herein. Someof the pay for placement search results are passed back to the user atthe client computer and combined with other search results to form queryresults. Under an affiliate agreement, the pay for placement searchresults may be positioned in any suitable location in the query results.If the user clicks on one of the pay for placement search results,economic value is generated for the pay for placement search system 200or for the affiliated web service provider, or both.

[0043] Preferably, from the perspective of the operator of the pay forplacement search system 200, under the affiliate agreement the pay forplacement search results are positioned or ranked near or at the top ofthe query results sent to the user. Search listings treated this way arereferred to as premium listings. In one example, the premium listingsare the top three search listings for a search term and are passed tothe affiliated web service provider and displayed in the top threepositions of the query results. A premium listing has an increasedlikelihood of being clicked by the user. In this manner, an advertiser'spremium search listing will be seen by a larger number of searchersusing the World Wide Web, increasing the traffic to the advertiser's website. This increases the incentive for the advertiser to submit bids toposition the advertiser's search listings as premium search listings,with a rank or position which will ensure display near the top of thequery results.

[0044]FIG. 3 is a key map diagram that illustrates the functionalitiesof various interfaces in the Power manager. These functionalities arediscussed in detail in following FIG. 5-FIG. 17, and references areprovided to the figures which represent the marked feature of theinterface in more detail, for example ‘Delete Category’ functionalityhas a label FIG. 6, since, that functionality is shown in detail in FIG.6. The purpose of this FIG. 3 is to give at a glance an overview offunctionalities of the Power Manager.

[0045]FIG. 4 is a state diagram showing operations performed in theManage Category choice and in the List View, the Bid View and theStatistics View. At various points in this description, an attempt ismade to point the reader to the location identifier of the interface inFIG. 4.

[0046]FIG. 4 illustrates a method to allow advertisers to manage searchlistings by grouping in a pay for placement database search system,along with operating states in a system in accordance with FIG. 2. Atblock 402, the advertiser logs in to the account on the accountmanagement system. The advertiser then makes a selection in regards tothe next activity, one of which can be Add Listings activity. Byfollowing links from block 402 to block 406, the advertiser is placed ina position to add new listings to the system. The search listingsentered by the advertiser will be stored in an Editorial ProcessingSystem (EPS) for review by editors. After review, the edited searchlistings are added to the search listing database with an ‘all searchlistings’ category and an ‘unassigned listing category’. The AddListings functionality is described in detail below in conjunction withFIG. 7.

[0047] The advertiser can also select ‘Manage Categories’ option fromthe account management system by following links from block 402 to block404. This places the advertiser in a position to manage the categoriesof search listings in the search database. This interface gives theadvertiser the ability to switch between his various accounts using adropdown menu. This interface enumerates the name of the category andthe number of listings in both unassigned and user defined categories.The advertiser can create, name, rename and delete a category from thisinterface. These functionalities are described below in greater detailin conjunction with FIG. 5.

[0048] Alternatively, by following a link from block 404 to block 408,the advertiser is placed in a position to enter the Listing View. In theListing View, by following a link from block 408 to block 416, theadvertiser can select a set of listings for adding the listings to acategory. This functionality is described in greater detail below inconjunction with FIG. 8. By following a link from block 408 to block414, the advertiser can search and edit the listings. Thesefunctionalities are described in greater detail in conjunction with FIG.9. The Listing View is displayed in greater detail in FIG. 11.

[0049] The advertiser may also follow a link from block 404 to block410. In this case, the advertiser is placed in a position to enter theBid View. In the Bid View, by following a link from block 410 to block420, the advertiser can select a set of listings for adding the listingsto a category. This functionality is described in greater detail inconjunction with FIG. 8. By following a link from block 410 to block418, the advertiser can search and edit his listings. The Bid View isdisplayed in detail in FIG. 12. Furthermore, while in the Bid View, theadvertiser can also bid a set of listings to top. This functionality isdescribed in greater detail below in conjunction with FIG. 14.

[0050] Alternatively, the advertiser may follow a link from block 404 toblock 412. In this case, the advertiser is placed in a position to enterthe Statistics View. In the Statistics View, by following a link fromblock 412 to block 426 the advertiser can select a set of listings foradding the listings to a category. This functionality is described ingreater detail below in conjunction with FIG. 8. By following a linkfrom block 412 to block 424, the advertiser can search and edit thelistings. The Bid View is displayed in detail in FIG. 12.

[0051] FIGS. 5-17 are screen shots illustrating operation of a userinterface to implement advertiser control of search listings in a payfor placement or other database search system such as the system 200 ofFIG. 2. The embodiments of FIGS. 5-17 are illustrative only and manyvariations of the presentation of the functionality described herein maybe substituted. However, components such as the account managementserver 206 of the search system 200 of FIG. 2 preferably implement auser interface such as the illustrated user interface to allowadvertiser control of advertiser search listings. The illustratedfunctionality may be implemented in one or more software code routinesor applications operating on a processing device associated with adatabase and server system or other device.

[0052]FIG. 5 is a screen shot of one embodiment of a ‘Manage-CategoriesInterface Page’ wherein the heading 502 ‘manage categories’ is selectedbecause the user is at the junction specified in part 404. Under thisinterface page, an advertiser can switch between his various accountsusing a dropdown menu 504, which displays the details of each account ofthe advertiser such as Account ID, Account Name, Product, and Market.This interface page enumerates the name of the category at heading 506and, number of listings in both unassigned and user defined categoriesat heading 508. The advertiser can create a new category by entering thename of the category in input text box 510, and further rename thecategory by entering the new name at the input text box 514. Theadvertiser may select to delete a category by selecting a category froma drop down menu 512. Selecting “delete” from the drop down menu 512directs the advertiser's browser to a pop up interface page, an exampleof which is shown in FIG. 6. Before the category gets deleted, theadvertiser is required to confirm the delete action by clicking ‘DELETE’button at 602 in FIG. 6.

[0053] In FIG. 7 the user is at the junction specified in part 406. TheFIG. 7 is a representation of the add listings interface used in apreferred embodiment of the present invention, which enables theadvertiser to add search listings to the system. The add listingsinterface includes a text box 702, an input text box 704, an input textbox 706, a suggestion tool 708, a get current bid tool 710, a bid amounttext box 712 a continue button 716 and a continue button 718. In theillustrated embodiment, the advertiser is required to provide severalparameters for this listing. The search terms parameter denotes thewords of the listing that are compared with a received query from asearcher. For instance, in FIG. 7. the advertiser is attempting to entera listing for a sofa. The advertiser will input word ‘sofa’ in thesearch term text box 702. Then the advertiser will enter the URL for anadvertiser web site where the sofa advertisement or other information islocated in the input text box 704. Then the advertiser will enter anappropriate title for this listing in the input text box 706. In thecurrent example, an appropriate title would be ‘Buying sofas online’.Then the advertiser will input a detailed description of this item orother information in the input text box 714. The advertiser will alsoenter the bid amount in the bid amount input box 712. In one session,the advertiser will be able to add multiple search listings, and submitthe added listings to the system.

[0054] The interface also makes available the search term suggestiontool 708 that suggests a search term and get current bid tool 710 thatidentifies the top forty bids for the search term. As the name suggests,this interface is used to add listings to the interface. Once entered, alisting resides in a category in the system. The search listings enteredby the advertiser will be stored in an Editorial Processing System (EPS)and the search listings will be reviewed by editors affiliated with thepay for placement database. After editorial review, the listing is addedto the database of search listings and categorized in the ‘all searchlistings’ category and an ‘unassigned listing category’. For the ease ofuse, the interface allows the advertiser to copy the title, description,URL and bid from a previous listing by clicking on ‘continue addinglistings with this information button’ 716. Otherwise, the advertisermay choose to continue adding listings using a blank form by clicking oncontinue button 718.

[0055] The ability to group listings facilitates the calculation of theperformance metrics for a user defined category, wherein the advertisercan learn more about past performance of a category. The groupingability further aids in predicting click traffic for a user definedcategory in future, for example if market demand of certain kind ofmedications is increased then the manufacture of the pharmaceuticals maywant to raise bid to bid to the top for all the medications in certaincategory. The top position is the most preferred position because thehigher the position of the listing in the search results, the moreclicks the listing is likely to receive and thereby boost the sale ofthe medication.

[0056] Since all the listings reside in a category, after adding a newlisting, the next step is to add the listing to a category. While atposition 416 in FIG. 4, the advertiser can move the newly added listingfrom the unassigned category, to an existing category or alternatively,create a new category and move the listing to that new category. FIG. 8displays one embodiment of an interface by which the advertiser has achoice to add the listing to an existing category by selecting anexisting category from the drop down menu 802. The interface of FIG. 8also includes a text box 804, a done button 806 and a cancel button 808.The option of creating a new category is exercised by entering the nameof the category in the ‘Add to new category’ text box 804, and thenclicking on the done button 806. Any time prior to clicking on 806, theadvertiser may abort by clicking on the cancel button 808.

[0057] The ‘Edit Listings’ at positions 414, 418, 424 in FIG. 4illustrates a user's ability to modify listings. In FIG. 9, the quickfill box 900 located at the top portion of this interface allows theadvertiser to modify an attribute of multiple listings by specifying thevalue of the attribute at a single location. The advertiser selects acategory for the quick-fill operation from a list of user definedcategories in the drop down menu 902. The quick-fill functionalityallows all the listings in that category to be modified with respect toa URL by providing an intended URL in text box 918. All the searchlistings in the selected user defined category will contain the modifiedURL when the advertiser clicks on ‘Quick Fill All’ button 924. The‘Title’ text box 920 and the ‘Description’ 922 text box can similarly befilled or populated for the selected user defined category.

[0058] Alternatively, the advertiser may choose to modify the attributesof each listing individually by providing separate input for eachcategory, by selecting a category from a drop down menu of categories904. This interface provides the current bid for position for the topthree positions, including bid 908, bid 910 and bid 912, along withcurrent bid tool 914 to help the advertiser determine a new bid amountand enter the bid at bid entry box 916. After providing all theinformation the advertiser can submit the input by clicking the ‘SUBMITCHANGES’ button 926.

[0059] After submitting changes, a confirmation is provided to the user.FIG. 10 shows the edit receipt confirmation interface with ‘Search Term’1002, URL 1004 and ‘Current Bid’ 1006, after the modifications aresubmitted.

[0060] In FIG. 11, the user is at the junction specified in position 408of FIG. 4. FIG. 11 shows a listings wide search page. The search pageallows an advertiser to enter elements of a search query to search andorganize the advertiser's search listings, including searching bycategory. The search page includes a drop down box 1102, a drop down box1104, a text input box 1106, a drop down menu 1110, a numeric operatorcomparison drop down menu 1112, a input box 1114. In FIG. 11, theinterface displays a typical listings query page wherein drop down box1102 enables the advertiser to select either all listings or thelistings in the user defined category or the listings in the unassignedcategory. Next, a user selects from the search term drop down box 1104.The list of choices under this menu are illustrated at drop down menu1202, FIG. 12. This drop down menu 1202 includes: Search Term, URL,Description or title which may be used as search criteria.

[0061] The text input box 1106 allows the advertiser to enter a textstring to be compared using the search criteria previously entered atdrop down menu 1104. The advertiser can also run a bid based query byselecting a time span at drop down menu 1110. A list of choices whichmay be provided under Bid query drop down menu 1110 is illustrated atdrop down menu 1502 in FIG. 15. There, the possible search items includenumber of clicks, total amount spent, and price per click for varioustime spans. In numeric operator comparison drop down menu 1112, theadvertiser selects a filter from the list of choices under this menu.One example of the possible list of choices is shown at 1602, FIG. 16,and includes entries ‘is greater than or equal to’ and ‘is less than orequal to’. Next, the advertiser enters a numeric value in the input box1114 to be compared with the numeric value of input in the drop downmenu 1110. The search query is submitted by clicking a search button.After processing, the query results are displayed to the advertiser intabular form including the Search Term, URL, Title, Description and nameof the category for each search listing. The advertiser can click on theView URL icon to go to the advertiser's page that is advertised by thelisting.

[0062] In FIG. 12, the user is at the junction specified as position 410in FIG. 4. FIG. 12 shows one embodiment of a screen shot of a QueryCriteria Selection Interface page. The page of FIG. 12 includes a dropdown menu 1202, a select all listings link 1204, a current bid selector1208, a current position selector 1210, a current first bid 1212, acurrent second bid 1214, a current third bid 1216, a current bid tool1218, a text box 1220, alphabetical sort controller 1222, and bid searchcontroller 1224. In the screen shot of FIG. 12, the interface displays atypical Bid Query Criteria selection page. The BID option is selectedwhich denotes that the advertiser is exploring the edit listing optionunder the Bid View as illustrated at position 418 in FIG. 4. Theadvertiser can select at drop down menu 1202, one of the followingsearch criteria: Search Term, URL, Description or Title. This interfaceprovides a current bid selector 1208 for each listing as well as acurrent position selector 1210 for the listing. The interface alsoprovides the position for top three bids, including first bid 1212,second bid 1214 and third bid 1216, along with a current bid tool 1218to help the advertiser determine a new bid amount and enter at text box1220. The advertiser further can select all the listings at once byclicking on the downward pointing arrow at the select all listings link1204. Selecting all listings allows the user to perform one operation onall the selected listings via using the quick fill operation describedherein. The advertiser can sort the query results alphabetically byclicking on either upward or downward pointing arrows of thealphabetical sort controller 1222 located under the title Search Term.The advertiser can also sort the query results in ascending ordescending order by clicking on either upward or downward pointing arrowof the bid search controller 1224 located under the title Current Bid.

[0063] The bid view of FIG. 12 also enables the advertisers to run aquery by selecting one of the following search criteria from a drop downmenu 1502 of FIG. 15: number of clicks, Total amount spent, and priceper click for various time spans. In the bid view, the queries can besearched using the numeric comparison operators such as ‘less than orequal to’ or ‘greater than or equal to’ from the drop down selectionmenu 1602 in FIG. 16.

[0064] In FIG. 14, the user is at the junction specified as position 422in FIG. 4. The advertiser can select certain search listings to controlthe position at which one or more search listings are displayed. This isprovided by the bid to top functionality, which in the illustratedembodiment allows the advertiser to select the first, second or thirdranked positions for a search listing. The top position is generally themost preferred position or ranking because higher ranked search listingswill be seen by more users and will therefore generate more clicks. Thebid to top functionality allows an advertiser to quickly and easily movesearch listings to top positions.

[0065] In a first option, the advertiser can select “bid to topunlimited.” In this option, the advertiser specified a desired rank forone or more search listings. The system will always try to position theselected search listing at the desired rank specified by the advertiser.This is done without regard to the amount of the bid required to achievethe specified rank. In the second option, the advertiser can select the“bid to top with cap” option. Under this option, the advertiserspecifies both desired rank and a bid cap for one or more search. Thesystem tries to position the search listings at the desired rank withoutexceeding the bid cap. Rules and exceptions are implemented to addresstie conditions and other situations. A more detailed explanation of thebid to top functionality may be found in U.S. patent application Ser.No. ______, entitled POSITION BIDDING IN A PAY FOR PLACEMENT SEARCHSYSTEM, filed on even date herewith and commonly assigned to theassignee of the present application, which application is incorporatedherein in its entirety by this reference.

[0066]FIG. 13 is a screen shot showing one embodiment of a statisticsview query page. This page allows an advertiser to review statisticsrelated to the advertiser's search listings. The query page includes astatistics view 1302, a drop down menu 1304, headings 1306, 1308, 1310and a category indication 1312 In the query page of FIG. 13, the user isat the junction specified as position 412 in FIG. 14. The StatisticsView 1302 aids the advertiser in reviewing several features of a searchlisting. These are illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 13 at totalcost heading 1308, total clicks heading 1306 and price per click heading1310 for a listing, along with the listing's category indication 1312.The statistics may be shown for specified time frame specified byselection in a drop down menu 1304 as shown in FIG. 13. In the presentlypreferred embodiment, a time frame can be either previous day, month todate or last month. Other time frames or search parameters may besubstituted as well.

[0067]FIG. 17 displays a typical query results for a statistics querythat can help the advertiser to have at a glance a view of which of thecategories are most frequently clicked on and how much was the price perclick etc. Such information can be used by the advertiser to tailorfuture use of the pay for performance search system.

[0068] In one embodiment, the search and query views provide aparticular convenience feature for the advertiser. In this embodiment,these views provide a user interface which includes a display areaconfigured to display a plurality of advertiser search listings. Foreach advertiser search listing, a common hyperlink is displayed with theadvertiser search listing. The user interface further includes apparatussuch as program code for displaying a URL associated with a particularadvertiser search listing upon a mouseover of the common hyperlinkdisplayed with the particular advertiser search listing. A mouseover ismovement of the cursor or mouse over or in the vicinity of the link.

[0069] For example, in the screen shot of FIG. 11, each search listingis arranged down the screen page. Each search listing includes ahyperlink with the text “view URL.” In the illustrated embodiment, thishyperlink is common to all search listings but other types of hyperlinkswhich vary or convey other information could be substituted. What anoperator's cursor or mouse is brought in the vicinity, a pop up displayappears next to the cursor and shows in a box text defining the URLassociated with that particular search listing. Clicking on thehyperlink directs the user's browser to that URL. In the preferredembodiment, a new window is opened at the specified URL.

[0070] This provides a very convenient way for an advertiser editing hislistings to identify dead or incorrect links. Many URLs are too long toconveniently display on the search listing page. By substituting thecommon hyperlink, the URL information is readily available but withoutcluttering the display screen. The ability to click through the link tothe associated URL provides convenience and time savings to theadvertiser managing his search listings.

[0071] From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present inventionprovides method and apparatus for assisting advertisers to efficientlymanage search listings via grouping in a pay for placement databasesearch system. Advertisers, including advertisers who maintain largenumbers of listings in a pay for placement or other database searchsystem can group their listings in categories to assist in managinginformation about these listings, including bid amounts. The systemincludes searching and sorting tools to further simplify themanipulation of the search listings.

[0072] While a particular embodiment of the present invention has beenshown and described, modifications may be made. It is therefore intendedin the appended claims to cover such changes and modifications, whichfollow in the true spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A system for advertisers to efficiently manage their search listingsin a pay for placement database search system, the system comprising:grouping means for managing multiple categories for the search listings;query means for searching search listings; and quick-fill means formodifying an attribute in plurality of search listings by specifying themodification at single location.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein thegrouping means comprises: means for keeping a listing in one or morecategories.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the grouping meanscomprises: means for creating a category in response to an advertiser'sinput.
 4. The system of claim 3 wherein the grouping means comprises:means for naming the category in response to an advertiser's input. 5.The system of claim 3 wherein the grouping means comprises: means forrenaming the category in response to an advertiser's input.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the grouping means comprises: means for addinga listing to a category in response to an advertiser's input.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the grouping means comprises: means fordeleting a category in response to an advertiser's input.
 8. The systemof claim 1 wherein the grouping means comprises: means for moving asearch listing between a user defined category and another category inresponse to an advertiser's input.
 9. The system of claim 8 wherein themeans for moving a search listing is operative to move the searchlisting between the user defined category and one of an unassignedcategory and another user defined category.
 10. The system of claim 1wherein the grouping means comprises: means for keeping all the searchlistings for an account in an all listings category wherein, once addedto an account, a search listing cannot be moved from the category. 11.The system of claim 1 wherein the grouping means comprises: means forcalculating performance metrics for a user defined category.
 12. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the grouping means comprises: means forpredicting click traffic for a user defined category.
 13. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the query means comprises: means for searching searchlistings in response to a search criteria specified by an advertiser;and displaying a query result.
 14. The system of claim 1 wherein thequery means comprises: means for sorting the query result in response toan advertiser's input.
 15. The system of claim 1 wherein the query meanscomprises: means for saving the query results in response to anadvertiser's input.
 16. The system of claim 1 wherein the query meanscomprises: means for printing the query results in response to anadvertiser's input.
 17. The system of claim 1 wherein the query meanscomprises: search means configured to search with a search term as thesearch criteria.
 18. The system of claim 1 wherein the query meanscomprises: search means configured to search with a description as thesearch criteria.
 19. The system of claim 1 wherein the query meanscomprises: search means configured to search with an URL as the searchcriteria.
 20. The system of claim 1 wherein the query means comprises:search means configured to search with a title as the search criteria.21. The system of claim 1 wherein the query means comprises search meansconfigured to search with a bid amount as the search criteria.
 22. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the quick-fill means comprises: means formodifying an attribute of a plurality of search listings in response toan advertiser specification at a single location.
 23. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the quick-fill means comprises: means for modifying anURL for search listings in a specified category;
 24. The system of claim1 wherein the quick-fill means comprises: means for modifying a Titlefor search listings in a specified category;
 25. The system of claim 1wherein the quick-fill means comprises: means for modifying adescription for search listings in a specified category.
 26. The systemof claim 1 wherein the quick-fill means comprises: means for modifying acategory for search listings in a specified category.
 27. A databasemanagement method comprising: storing a plurality of search listings ina database; receiving a category indication for one or more searchlistings from an advertiser; and associating the one or more searchlistings in the database according to the category indication.
 28. Themethod of claim 27 wherein the category indication comprises a categoryname.
 29. The method of claim 27 further comprising: receiving a renamecategory indication and a new category name from the advertiser.
 30. Themethod of claim 27 wherein storing comprises: for each search listing,storing a search term and descriptive text; and associating each searchlisting with an advertiser.
 31. A search listing management method for apay for position database system, the method comprising: storing in adatabase search listings associated with advertisers; processing searchqueries to the database; and providing information about processedsearch queries to an advertiser.
 32. The method of claim 31 whereinproviding information comprises: receiving time windowing informationfrom the advertiser; and providing information about access to searchlistings of the advertiser during a time window defined by the timewindow information.
 33. The method of claim 31 wherein providinginformation comprises: providing statistical information about one ormore of accessed search terms of the advertiser; accessed uniformresource locators of the advertiser; and categories of search listingsof the advertiser.
 34. The method of claim 31 wherein providinginformation comprises: providing statistical information about one ormore of cost per click information for search listings of theadvertiser; and total click information for the search listings of theadvertiser.
 35. A user interface for a pay for placement search systemstoring advertiser search listings, each search listing including atleast a uniform resource locator (URL), the user interface comprising: adisplay area configured to display a plurality of advertiser searchlistings; for each advertiser search listing, a common hyperlinkdisplayed with the advertiser search listing; and apparatus fordisplaying a URL associated with a particular advertiser search listingupon a mouseover of the common hyperlink displayed with the particularadvertiser search listing.
 36. The user interface of claim 35 furthercomprising: redirection apparatus for directing a web browser to the URLassociated with the particular advertiser search listing upon receivinga click of the common hyperlink displayed with the particular advertisersearch listing.
 37. The user apparatus of claim 36 wherein theredirection apparatus opens a new browser window directed to the URL.